As the election results were coming in I began to panic.
I had the distinct feeling that life as we know it would change and not for the better.
When the results came in I leaned in my husband and cried and then was silent for the rest of night.
When I woke up in the morning I knew that I had to go to work. I work at Beit Teshuvah which is a treatment facility for addicts. I was thinking I would wear black…
And then I realized that I couldn’t. I don’t have that latitude. I am a member of the clergy and my job is to be a light in the darkness. I am called upon to be a beacon of hope. So .. I put on a red dress (this is called contrary action) and I sat down with my first client.
Never have I been so grateful for my role. Never have I been so grateful to be of service.
If you are cantor, a rabbi, a teacher, or a counselor, right now, consider yourself blessed.
You have the unique opportunity to impart your wisdom, your values or love and kindness, justice
Mercy, to the people you serve.
Synagogues and Jewish institutions are ever more important as places of safety and places to be yourself
and to learn how to treat others.
Yes, something real as happened and it is also true that we can love harder, stand by what we believe in and be imbued with yet a greater sense of purpose. This means encouraging people to stand up for what they believe in and to pursue the justice.